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Critics fighting proposal for Petrochem site in Ventura, citing air quality issues

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The owner of the Petrochemical refinery site plans to convert the property near Ventura into an equipment yard and automobile holding lot after county officials nixed plans for housing in the area. But environmental and neighborhood groups are saying not so fast.

"We're worried that it would increase pollution," said James Forsythe, chairman of the Westside Community Council, which advocates for residents of the nearby Ventura Avenue area.

Located at 4777 Crooked Palm Road, the 38-acre site on unincorporated land holds the remnants of the Petrochemical Co. oil refinery and an ammonia plant opened by Shell Chemical Corp.

Both facilities closed decades ago and a cleanup to remove oil and oil-contaminated materials has been done to federal regulators' satisfaction. But county supervisors last year turned back a plan to build almost 700 units of multi-family housing based on land-use policies that direct development toward cities and questions about whether the property was safe for homes.

Easier path

The housing proposal would have required a vote by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to amend the county general plan for a private landowner, something the board rarely does. But this proposal headed for a hearing Monday before Planning Director Dave Ward faces no such obstacle and fits with the existing industrial zoning, planning officials said.

"It is the heaviest manufacturing zone," said Kristina Boero, case planner for the project.

Petrochem Development 1 LLC of Moorpark is proposing to build the holding lot for vehicles on 21 acres and an equipment yard on 7 acres. No development is planned on the remaining 10 acres.

New cars would be trucked to the site, stored for 14 to 90 days and prepped for market before being delivered to dealerships in the county, says a staff report from the Ventura County Planning Division. The lot would operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily with as many as 20 truckloads of cars allowed to come in and out each day.

The cars would be offloaded from the Port of Hueneme and trucked to the site, according to the original project description submitted in 2016 by Sespe Consulting Inc. of Ventura.

That suggested Petrochem would do just what officials at the county airports in Camarillo and Oxnard did for several years: rent vacant land for an overflow of cars shipped to the port. The arrangement ended in 2018 after South Korean automakers switched to a leaner inventory model, but it brought in close to $5 million, county and business officials have said.

The Port of Hueneme issued a statement Thursday on Twitter that said neither the port nor its existing customers were involved in Petrochem's application for a county permit for the vehicle lot. Sespe official John Hecht said the port was one possibility when the project was submitted, but that no discussions have been held with port officials nor has a deal been reached.

The other part of the project calls for a 7-acre equipment yard. That space would be rented to general contractors, oil field support operations and the fishing industry for storage of roll-off bins, building materials, pipe, commercial fishing gear and other equipment. Tenants would have access to the site 24 hours a day and could deliver up to 30 loads each day.

The project does not involve two spherical tanks that reportedly held ammonia and are the most recognizable landmarks of the industrial site. They are located outside the project area and are due to be removed by the end of the year.

Birds and views

A study showed that the environmental impacts of the project and the site preparation could be lessened to a less-than-significant level with various remedial actions. Included were the effects on the California red-legged frog, a threatened species; nesting birds; scenic views; and the noise and vibration from crushing of concrete pads that are remnants of the buildings. The effects on traffic and air pollution were not found to be significant.

But leaders of environmental and neighborhood groups are asking Ward to deny approval at a hearing planned at 11 a.m. Monday at the County Government Center in Ventura. They want additional and more rigorous studies to be done.

Forsythe said the westside council will urge Ward to reject the proposal pending additional study on the impact of the truck traffic and commercial storage. The Environmental Coalition of Ventura County and the Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas organization are also opposed.

Coalition Vice President Pat Baggerly said she's concerned there won't be adequate landscaping to hide the project from the scenic route along Highway 33; that the crushed concrete could wash into the Ventura River and affect conditions for the few steelhead trout that remain; and that there will be too much glare from the windshields of the vehicles.

She's also concerned that destructive quagga mussels on fishing vessels that may be stored at the site could make their way to the river. It's not clear whether boats will be allowed, but the language of the county's land-use ordinance does not appear to expressly eliminate them.

'One of the worst'

Marie Lakin, executive director of CFROG, said the organization of climate activists believes that the project is "one of the worst conceivable land uses" for the property.

In a letter to Ward, she objected based on the project's location in an area susceptible to flooding, air quality concerns and the additional traffic that could make it difficult to get out of the area during a wildfire.

She also said the development would not be compatible with the restoration of property located just north of the Petrochem site. The Trust for Public Land intends to acquire that property and restore it to upland, riparian and flood plain habitat, Lakin said.

The trust has reached out to the owners to talk about acquiring the Petrochem property, but they have not shown much interest, an official at the national land conservation and park development agency said.

"We have never really gotten past the initial stages of conversation," said Alex Size, the trust's land protection director for Southern California.

The trust would be interested in acquiring the site for ecological restoration and enhanced access to the bicycle trail that runs along the Ventura River, he said.

Petrochem officials could not be reached for comment.

The hearing is set at 11 a.m. Monday at the County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura. It is scheduled in the Santa Cruz conference room on the third floor of the Hall of Administration.

Ward's decision is not necessarily final. Objecting parties may appeal his decision to the Ventura County Planning Commission and if that goes against them to the Board of Supervisors.

Kathleen Wilson covers the Ventura County government, including the county health system, politics and social services. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0271.